How I quit my day job to become a romance author

Name: Ines Bautista-Yao

My job today: Romance author (she recently released her latest novel, When Sparks Fly, which is available here, here and at Common Room Katipunan and Powerplant Mall)

My last corporate job: Director of a tutoring center

Why did you leave?

The pressing reason I left was because I was pregnant, but overall, what I needed in a job—which was creativity—wasn’t there. I realized that I have a creative spirit and staying in a job where I had to find students to be tutored (I wasn’t even tutoring them which would have been more interesting for me) did not hold my interest. Even if I learned a lot, there was something missing and it was hard for me to keep pushing myself to do it every day.

A lot of people want to pursue the dream of becoming a writer. What made you decide to pursue your path of becoming a full-time writer instead of staying in a “safe” job and writing on the side?

The first choice I made was to be a stay-at-home mom. I’m lucky that my passion fits, well, sort of fits, this decision. I reasoned that I can write anywhere, so if I had to stay at home while the baby slept or if I had to wait for her at school, I could write. And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. But it isn’t easy at all! Taking care of two little girls (one being a demanding toddler who pushes down the screen of my laptop so I don’t work while she’s around) has actually made it such a challenge to write. But maybe because of that, I push myself even more. My need to write is stronger than it has ever been.

What were your fears surrounding this change?

I have many fears. When it came to leaving a day job, my fear was no longer having the regularity of a paycheck, which I think is a common fear, and not having people to talk to all day. I also have fears that surround being an author. All writers worry that their writing isn’t good enough, but when you write stories, the fear is even greater because it’s more personal and you invest so much more of yourself in them.

How did you manage your fear?

I still wish I had a regular paycheck, but what I do is take on freelancing jobs and save as much as I can so that when the checks aren’t ready yet (which happens a lot), I have money to tide me over. I’m still working on the loneliness bit. That’s tough when I have to physically be with my children all day.

Lastly, how do I manage the fear that my writing sucks? I think this is a fear that will never go away. And because I know this, I have accepted it but I also know that my need to write and my need to be involved in creating worlds, stories, and sentences, is stronger than that fear. I also have a very supportive family and wonderful friends who keep me going!

One of the things that stops people from pursuing their dreams is the question of money. How did you deal with this?

I partially answered this above, but another answer I have is I invested my money when I was working. I would put aside money every few months and there actually came a time when I needed to get some of that money to pay for something. I can’t remember what it was anymore but I do recall being so stressed out by this because the checks coming in couldn’t cover the amount I needed. But when I realized that I had investments I could actually tap, I was relieved and I thanked my former self. It’s great to know that what I worked for can help me out today when I need it.

At the same time, I am smarter about writing and my book business (which I didn’t really want to deal with in the beginning! But I now know I need to if I want to continue doing this and allowing it to pay for itself instead of begging my husband to fund it haha!). I am being more organized, recording my sales, and spending only what I can afford. For example, if I can’t afford illustrations, I won’t commission them on a particular book.

What did you do to prepare before becoming a full-time writer?

In order to be a full-time writer whom people will want to read, whether you’re writing fiction or articles or even just landing pages, you need to write well. And I did this by honing my craft. I would study grammar and writing books and writing blogs, and I would practice, practice, practice. The most important thing a writer should do is read. After that, she should write. The more you write, the better you become at it. I also learned a lot by joining author groups and having my work reviewed by other authors. I still am learning. I’ve enrolled in fiction writing online courses and I’m reading more writing books.

What did you do to prepare before quitting your day job?

I talked to my husband first to make sure it was something we could afford. I knew my income wouldn’t be the same and it wouldn’t be regular. There was potential for it to be better than what it was while at my day job however, but I think what mattered above all is that my husband believed in me—and still does. I sometimes feel he’s just humoring my hobby, but when we talk, he tells me that he believes I can really do something special with my writing.

Is there anything you miss about the corporate world?

I don’t miss the meetings, the long hours, and taking orders from a boss, but I do miss the people I talked to every day, the team work, the camaraderie, the laughs, the inside jokes, the gossip, you get the picture 😀

What lessons have you learned since leaving your day job?

I have learned that I can learn things on my own. When you’re in an office, you’re trained by the people there, you’re molded, you’re guided. You have a mentor to turn to when you need advice or when you want to know where to take your life.

When you’re working for yourself, you’re on your own. And this can be incredibly scary. But because you’re on your own, you begin to experiment. You begin to be more forgiving of your mistakes, you begin to look for ways to advance, to learn, to improve—on your own terms. And when you do improve, the fulfillment is all yours.

An example of this is my fiction. I just read a short story I had written three years ago and I was appalled at my level of writing. It lacked description, it was filled with adverbs and dialogue tags, and there were inconsistencies. The story was good but the writing! Facepalm. I devoted days to rewriting it: adding, removing, tweaking, until I felt it was much better. Then I read a story I had written a few months ago and the stark difference in my writing shocked me. It was as if both stories were written by different people. In a way, they were. And I am so grateful to see that my writing has gotten better. And that I had worked on that on my own.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to leave their day job and pursue their dream?

We’ve been getting loads of advice on Facebook not to follow your bliss. And I understand why these articles are coming out. But I think what’s important is to follow your dream responsibly. It isn’t about making you happy period. It’s about what’s best for you and for your family.

When my cousin came out with his comic book series, Cast, I felt something physical twist in my gut. And I said to myself, wow, he’s living the dream. My dream. He wrote something and it’s out there in the world. I want to do that.

A few years later, I was able to do it and I haven’t stopped. My daughters see this and are proud of me. The eldest is begging me to allow her to read my books. Of course I tell her she can’t but I love how they can see that I am following my dream, I am doing what I believe God has put me on this world to do, but at the same time, I am doing my responsibility which is to take care of them and make sure they are happy and healthy. Following your bliss isn’t about selfishness. It is about making the world a better place. And that entails responsibility—which, when accomplished, is the best kind of happiness.

NOTE: This series (“How I quit my day job to become a __________”) is about following the dream that calls you and making powerful and courageous decisions to heed that call. It’s not about escaping stress or colleagues who make you unhappy. Don’t quit your day job to escape. Leave it because the vision you have for your self lies beyond the 9-to-5, the regular paycheck, the comfortable lifestyle. My hope is that the lessons from women who have done the same will encourage you to make your own courageous choice.